*cries* fanfiction on a tablet is such a pain! therefore i apologise for the missing spaces and hope that you could kindly overlook them, thankyouverymuch!
anyway, here's chapter two! it would've been uploaded earlier if i could upload it on my phone, but unfortunately not. i've already begun writing chapter 3. oh and i feel like this chapter might be taking this a bit too fast, but i just wanted to get this part over and done with the move on to the main part.
also, please, if you have ANY comments about, like, Chihiro's character is not correct, in this situation she would've said...? please please do share with me! i simply want the story to be absolutely perfect to the character! thankyou!
and so, enjoyyyyyyyyyyy.
I could never stop thinking about the spirit world. Rin, Kamaji, Zeniba... Haku...After leaving, I could feel a hole in my heart, something that no matter what I did, nothing in the human world could cover. I wanted to go back.
It had been barely a year, and almost every week, I would unconciously walk to the tunnel, looking at it wistfully. Today was that day of the week. The vibrant red paintwas peeling, cracking, making the place look more magical, mysterious, somehow. The mossy two-faced statue which I used to be so freaked out about now seemed so... I don't know. It was the only thing connecting the spirit and human world.
Like every visit, I slid onto a pile of already flattened leaves and stare intently atthe tunnel, hoping, just wishing someone would appear and gesture for me to return. But, of course, that never happened. Even though Haku said we would definitely meet again, I knew that it was not easy at all. He had promised so that I would quickly leave.
Two hours later when the sun began to set, I went home.
School was no better. I had no friends at all, but I barely minded. I wanted thepeace, since I would always unknowingly be thinking about things, or drawing, doingthings by myself. I didn't really feel like talking. It was already nearing the end of thisyear and I dreaded going on. I felt like there was no meaning at all.
The next year came by before I had realised it, and the class I was in had plentyof new faces, old ones too. I had been assigned to sit with a cute looking girl with a side braid. As usual, I was looking out the window, somehow hoping that a whitedragon will appear before my eyes. As I thought about him, I smiled to myself.
"Hello! I'm Rikka. Nice to meet you!" Suddenly, the girl beside me said verycheerfully. I was really taken by surprised. She was the first person who greeted me like that since I transferred. She had a wide grin, and I couldn't help smiling back at her. Sheseemed so honest and innocent.
"Hello." I replied, feeling obliged to.
As days pass by, she began to earn my trust. I felt like she was worth it. But,after rarely talking to other people for more than one year, I had kind of forgotten howto talk. So sometimes when I was thinking about something, I just said it out loud, butsoftly, just loud enough for her to hear. Maybe she thought I was just talking to myself,but maybe, hopefully she understood.
"Do you believe in spirits?" I asked, "Gods?"
"Emmm. What kind?" Her kind voice replied me, alert and honest. Somehow Ijust felt so glad she did not ask "what do you mean?".
One night I went home, feeling the worst ever, for who knows what reason. I just couldn't take my mind away from the spirit world, my memories replaying over andover again like a tape.
"Welcome home, Chihiro," I heard my father say. Barely looking at him, I said a"I'm home," and dashed into my room. I felt lile I'd just spoken a terrible lie. "I'mhome?" I laughed to myself. This was never my home.
With the heavy load burdening my heart, I began to consider returning. I knewthat this time, if I went, I probably would not be able to return. But, I felt like... So? Iwas ready to not return. I was ready to face the difficulties or who knows, I might evendie. I couldn't care less. Not even my parents, who did not manage to make this myhome, could stop me now.
If it had not been for them, I probably would have just stayed in the spirit worldlonger. But of course I had to find them, otherwise they probably won't go through thetunnel quickly.
That was it. I decided. Ogino Chihiro will be going back home! Then out of the sudden, I thought of Rikka, the honest and innocent girl. If she'd listen close enough tome, she would know what had happened to me. Well, the gist. I felt like there wasnothing to live for, and this heavy burden in my heart, I'd rather risk my life going backthan to live forever in this black-and-white world of 'mine'.
Suddenly, I began to tear up, thinking about Rin, Kamaji, and of course, this time, they were happy tears. I would be seeing them again, hopefully! I flopped down onto my bed and slowly, the tears began to enchant me to sleep.
Two days later, I was out of the house bright and early, before my parents wereawake. It was still slightly dark, so I decided to wait outside the tunnel awhile until thesun rises. I wasn't sure if I could enter when it was still dark. I wore the same clotheswhich were so nostalgic as when I first went. I had it altered once though, to accustomto my growing body. In my right hand was a rolled up artwork for Rikka, whichhopefully she will see it.
I had spent the previous day working on it, as I wanted to tell her about
.. well, this. But I wasn't good with words. Anyway, a picture speaks a thousand words,right? I would miss her though. She was the only one who understood me. Maybe.
Running, I took in the sights around me. This might be the last time I was evergoing to see this. It made me feel happy, oddly. As if I was leaving a prison, neverhaving to look back again. Kind of true, I guess. Sometimes I think about how I waswhen I was 10, and now. I had grown up way a lot, in terms of maturity. I think I stilllooked the same. I continued tying my hair in a pigtail with the purple hairband. I guessI was really sentimental about these kind of things.
Taking the same familiar route to my haven, I reached in no time. Carefully, Iplaced the artwork with the post-it on it at the foot of the statue and sat at the same my eyes, I enjoyed the cool breeze, and unfortunately, unable to stop this habitof mine, I thought deeper about me going back.
What would Rin be doing now? Is Kamaji still burning charcoal? Haku... Whathappened after I left? What is going to happen when I return? I suddenly felt if I made a horrible choice to return? No! I shook my head vigorously. It didn'tmatter. I was going back despite.
I think... I really do love Haku after all. I was probably still naive when I was 10, too caught up in saving my parents. I sighed, distance really does make the heart grow fonder, unfortunately.
As I sat there, stoning, thinking about many things as usual, I suddenly realisedthat the sky was lit up a beautiful orange by the sparkling sun. Feeling excited, I jumpedto my feet and immediately ran to the tunnel entrance. This was it. I took a short, cautious step forward, somehow expecting something to block me from entering. But, nothing did.
Being engulfed in darkness, I began to feel scared and picked up speed throughthe tunnel. I came to the familiar 'room' which had beautiful stained glass windows. As Ilistened, the sound of trains still existed after so long. There was also still the tricklingof water from a small water fountain.
Turning around, I recognised the two other different paths. I've always wondered where they led to. Maybe if fate has it, I can return and visit the other paths. I took off towards the spirit world, once again being engulfed in darkness, but I could see the greenish light on the other side, caused by the vast wild grass lawn.
I'm finally back home. I was smiling happily as the light surrounded me,blinding me for a moment. I was so near already. If I were to cross the river, it wouldmean my definite return.